Clemson's Sammy Watkins exceeds expectations

With only three healthy wide receivers in spring practice, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had a good feeling incoming freshman Sammy Watkins was going to play — and play a lot — when he arrived in the late summer.

Still, Swinney didn't have had any idea Watkins would be the kind of player he has become this season. All-America level true freshmen don't grow on trees, but that's exactly what Swinney has with Watkins.

"Sammy was definitely a guy that we knew would have to help us, but it wasn't until we got him into camp that we realized just how special he was," Swinney said. "He had a chance to be a starter, and a game-changer, and that's what he's been."

When Clemson (9-3) plays Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against No. 5 Virginia Tech, Watkins will come into the game third in the ACC in receptions (72) and receiving yards (1,073) — only a small snapshot of the numbers that helped him become the ACC's Offensive Rookie of the Year and earn first-team All-ACC honors.

He also leads the ACC in all-purpose yards per game with 175 (fourth in the nation). Despite missing Clemson's 37-13 loss Nov. 19 at North Carolina State with a sprained shoulder, he still has 1,920 all-purpose yards, which is ninth in ACC history in a single-season and best among ACC freshmen. He's on the brink of becoming just the sixth player in ACC history to reach 2,000 yards in a season, joining Tech's David Wilson, who has 2,083 yards this season.

Watkins, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Fort Myers, Fla., has set ACC freshmen records for touchdown receptions (10), receiving yards and receptions in a season while working with first team All-ACC quarterback Tajh Boyd, a Phoebus High graduate.

Watkins, whose older brother Jaylen is a sophomore safety at Florida, already has more 150-plus yard receiving games (three) in his short career than any other Clemson receiver. He had a school-record 345 all-purpose yards against Maryland, and he needs 12 receiving yards to pass Rod Gardner for the school single-season record (set in 1999).

"We still have a championship to play for, and a bowl game to play for, so I just put that behind me and go out and play," said Watkins of his accolades. "Everybody just feeds off me and we go out and play hard."

His sprained right shoulder has made just getting on the field and playing at his usual top level a chore. He suffered the injury Nov. 12 in the third quarter against Wake Forest — No. 21 Clemson's only win in its last four games.

"My shoulder is in good condition right now," said Watkins on Tuesday night. "I've just got to keep going to treatment and stuff like that. I think I'll be all right for the championship game. I'll just put everything on the line and go out and have fun."

He'll face a Tech defense that had more success against him than any other team. Though Clemson defeated Tech 23-3 on Oct. 1 in Blacksburg, Watkins had just three catches for 38 yards in a game played in low 40-degree temperatures with winds gusting up to about 20 miles per hour.

"It wasn't really the fans," said Watkins of his game against Tech (11-1), which has won seven consecutive games since the loss to Clemson. "It was the atmosphere and my approach to the game on the field. I was all worried about the weather and stuff like that."

Cornerback Cris Hill spent most of the October game lined up across from Watkins in Tech's nickel package, which is an approach Hill said Tech likely will employ again Saturday.

"You could see him getting frustrated a little bit," Hill said. "I think the thing with Sammy is you just can't let him get started. Once he gets going, he's a very dynamic player."

Playing in coordinator Chad Morris' spread attack that has generated the nation's 29th best total offense (439.3 yards per game), Watkins believes he has excelled because Morris has designed specific plays to get him the ball — something Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster recognizes as a hallmark of Morris' offensive plans.

"You can't double (Watkins) because they have too many other weapons," said Foster, whose total defense is 12th in the nation (302 yards per game). "It's just having awareness of what they're trying to do with their formations. … We just didn't allow him to bust loose on us (in October). They've been creating some big plays, but we've got to do the same thing again."